PBR Fall Championships: Day 2 18U Notebook

The inaugural PBR Fall Championships are taking place at Grand Park in Westfield, IN. More than two dozen travel teams from across the Midwest are competing in two divisions with more than 100 scouts and college recruiters in attendance. There will be notebooks each day covering the 18U and 17U/16U divisions.

Sitting atop Kentucky’s 2018 rankings are RHP Brendan Koester (Eastern HS, KY) and LHP Drew Rom (Highlands HS, KY) and both took the hill at the PBR Fall Championships on Saturday. Rom started for the Giants Scout Team for a 9:00 a.m. game, dominated in three innings of work and made a case for being the state’s No. 1 prospect. A Michigan recruit, he’s athletic on the mound with a very easy delivery. It looks like he’s playing catch at 86-87 mph from a 3/4 slot. The ball jumped on hitters and to make matters tougher, Rom also mixed in a swing-and-miss slider with sharp, late break. In three innings, he allowed just two hits while striking out five.

While Rom made a statement, you can’t overlook what Koester offers. He has an athletic frame and pitches with a simple, compact delivery. His fastball was 89-90 in the first with life when he kept it down in the zone. He allowed two runs on four hits and three walks in five innings while striking out nine. After the first, his fastball was mostly in the mid to high 80s, but he mixed in a curveball that showed sharp 11/5 break and depth, generating several swings and misses. He also showed feel for a changeup at 81-83.

Here are more highlights from Saturday’s action…